Quotation system and method

ABSTRACT

A quotation system and method are provided (see FIG.  1 ). A relational database ( 10 ) allows various departments ( 14, 16, 18, 20 ) to prepare a quotation. The relational database centralizes data to increase efficiency, and the data may be modified, as needed, for particular quotation solutions.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation entitled to the benefit of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/483,480 entitled “QUOTATION SYSTEM ANDMETHOD”, filed Jul. 14, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,720,716, hereinincorporated by reference.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/483,480 is a national filingentitled to the benefit of International Application NumberPCT/US02/22249, entitled “QUOTATION SYSTEM AND METHOD”, filed Jul. 12,2002, herein incorporated by reference.

International Application Number PCT/US02/22249 is entitled to thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/305,279, entitled“QUOTATION SYSTEM AND METHOD”, filed Jul. 12, 2001, herein incorporatedby reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a quotation system and method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The existing process for preparing a quotation, more specifically, aquotation for a custom-made product, is oftentimes cumbersome andinefficient for a number of reasons. For example, automotive suppliersmass produce products that are uniquely designed to customerspecifications for assembly into vehicles. The automotive supplier usesa list of manufacturing processes and/or assembly components that arepurchased from sub-suppliers. An automotive supplier is typically givenabout ten days to respond to a customer request for quotation. Withinthis ten-day or other reasonably short period of time, a rigorousbusiness process takes place whereby people from multiple departmentsmust contribute information and expertise to assess the design,manufacturing process, capacity, cost, investment, price, strategy, andlogistics. Then, the supplier must submit its quotation in a formatspecified by the customer.

Due to the short period of time allowed by the customer for the supplierto prepare the quotation, the supplier typically faces difficultchallenges when developing the quotation. For example, the supplier isfaced with applying enormous overhead to process a request for quotationthrough its system and deliver a quotation to the customer within theshort period of time. For example, the supplier may sometimes skip someapproval steps or make assumptions to ensure timely submission of thequotation. This may result in inaccuracies and have undesirable results,particularly in markets with thin margins. For example, the supplier maybe forced to deliver a late quotation due to the time constraintsimposed by the customer. These are just a few examples of thedifficulties faced by a supplier when preparing a quotation. Otherobstacles faced by the supplier include the fact that sometimesgeography and international borders separate contributors and approvers,making it difficult to manage and oversee the entire quotation process.

One technique for preparing quotations that is used today is aspreadsheet-based quotation technique. That is, various departments makecalculations using spreadsheets and pass these spreadsheets along toeach other using, for example, electronic mail. This results in databeing separated from its origin, being difficult to track, and beingnearly inaccessible for a subsequent analysis. As such, spreadsheetpassing techniques used today, although sometimes successful, do havetheir shortcomings. Although the example given above relatesspecifically to automotive suppliers, this is only exemplary, and otherindustries may face similar problems in preparing quotations.

In addition, some attempts have been made to develop quotation software.Typically, existing quotation software involves substantial hard-codingand lacks the flexibility that is often needed to prepare customizedquotations, such as, for example, in the automotive industry. Manytimes, a supplier will have their own particular way of performing costcalculations, and does not want to be restricted to the hard-codedtechniques in the quotation software. Because existing quotationsoftware lacks the desirable flexibility, many suppliers have stayedaway from these existing software solutions. As a result, supplierscontinue to use spreadsheet passing techniques which, as describedabove, also have shortcomings. Examples of quotation systems and methodsare shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,115,690; 5,970,476; 5,842,178; 5,717,924;5,249,120; 5,008,853; 4,992,940; 6,212,549; and 6,370,562.

For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a quotation system andmethod that overcomes the shortcomings of existing quotation preparationtechniques.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide animproved quotation system and method that utilizes a relational databaseto centrally manage data accessed by multiple departments during thepreparation of a quotation for a customer.

In carrying out the above object, a quotation system and method areprovided. The system includes a relational database having a number ofrelations to relate, for example, manufacturing processes, costparameters, calculations, and work flows so that various departments mayprepare a quotation with improved accuracy, reduced overhead expenses,and faster delivery.

In one example, a sales department, design engineering department,process engineering department, and purchasing department all haveaccess to the relational database to facilitate preparation of aquotation. The relational database provides centralized data thatovercomes limitations associated with spreadsheet passing and relatedmethods. In addition, the relational database provides flexibility inthat relational database data may be modified or added to change the waycalculations are performed. The ability to modify the data in therelational database overcomes limitations associated with hard-codedquotation software solutions. As such, systems and methods of thepresent invention allow a supplier, with various departments, toefficiently prepare a quotation. In addition, systems and methods of thepresent invention allow modification of the data so that the relationaldatabase may be adapted to the needs of different suppliers.

The above object and other objects, features, and advantages of thepresent invention are readily apparent from the following detaileddescription of the preferred embodiment when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a work flow diagram illustrating work flow among a salesdepartment, design engineering department, process engineeringdepartment, and purchasing department, as well as the relationaldatabase;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment wherein asingle relational database includes portions representing vehicleprogram information, part record information, process information, andsub-part information;

FIG. 3 illustrates the cooperation of various departments in a preferredembodiment; and

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the flexibility of the relationaldatabase, illustrating a number of relations including processes,process parameters, and calculations with data that may be customized tosuit the needs of particular suppliers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1, a relational database is indicated at 10. The relationaldatabase is recorded on a computer-readable medium and may beimplemented in a variety of ways as appreciated by one of ordinary skillin the art. Preferably, the relational database is implemented using adatabase management system (DBMS), such as SQL SERVER available fromMicrosoft. Sales department 12, design engineering department 14,process engineering department 16, and purchasing department 18 may allinteract with database 10. The sales department is also indicated at 20,receiving the quotation in a final stage. Sales department 20 has accessto additional information in database 22 so that sales department 20 maywork with the cost structure provided by the other departments todevelop a quote structure for the quotation being given to customer 24as report 26. The present invention also contemplates quotation formtranslation 28 for providing other language quotations. As shown, quotereports are present at each department (32, 34, 36, 38). Salesdepartment 20 also may create sales forecasts 30 as further describedbelow.

Although the preferred implementation illustrated in the drawingsrelates to an automotive quotation solution, embodiments of the presentinvention may be useful for other applications where customizedquotations and/or customized products are desired. The relationaldatabase 10 allows departments to collaborate only when necessaryresulting in improved quotation accuracy, reduced overhead expense, andaccelerated quotation delivery to customer 24. In addition, FIG. 1depicts preferred work flow, database, and reporting features. Preferredembodiments of the present invention, in addition to utilizingrelational database 10 to prepare quotations, facilitate long-termforecasting. In a preferred implementation, for example, in anautomotive quotation solution, vehicle set and vehicle volumeinformation are provided to sales department 20 via database 10 to allowcomprehensive sales and margin reporting. In a traditional approach,vehicle sets and vehicle volumes are gathered with a tedious processrequiring months of work and analysis to provide sales and marginreporting. In accordance with the present invention, by providing thisor other suitable information to relational database 10, theefficiencies of the quotation system and method of the present inventionmay be applied to long-term forecasting applications, as well asquotation preparation applications.

As FIG. 1 illustrates the relational database and associated work flows,it is understood that a suitable interface is provided so that thevarious departments may interface with relational database 10. Forexample, a web-based interface is preferred to allow access torelational database 10 from anywhere. Interfaces may be customized forindividual departments and further customized for contributors andapprovers. For example, sales department 12 may access relationaldatabase 10 via a new quote request screen that allows sales department12 to enter the description and specification into relational database10. Thereafter, the various other departments use appropriate interfacescreens to select, modify, and add 30 parameters as necessary to developthe quotation. The interfaces for each department may be designedspecifically for that department such that only needed information isavailable. For example, design engineering department 14 is given aninterface that illustrates only information needed by design engineeringdepartment 14 and similarly for other departments. And as mentionedabove, interface screens may be further customized within a department,for example, contributors and approvers may have slightly differentinterfaces or permissions to modify values within relational database10.

In addition to the interface screens that correspond to the work flows,additional interface screens may be provided for users outside of thework flow. For example, a plant controller may use an administrativescreen to control certain parameters that apply to many or all parts(for example, labor rates).

It is appreciated that in accordance with the present invention,relational database 10 centralizes data associated with the quotationand overcomes shortcomings associated with spreadsheet passing and otherpreviously known techniques for generating quotations. In addition,relational database data may be modified or added to change the waycalculations are performed to meet the needs of a particular supplier orquotation preparer. If desired, the relations may be modified tointegrate with legacy systems at a supplier. And, as such, the abilityto customize the relations provides added flexibility that overcomesshortcomings associated with hard-coded quotation software used in thepast. Although some examples were given above for specific interfacetechniques to interface the departments to relational database 10, it isappreciated that those skilled in the art of relational databases anddatabase management systems understand that a wide variety of interfacesmay be used to achieve embodiments of the present invention, and thepresent invention is not limited to any particular form of databaseinterface. Further, although a preferred implementation of the presentinvention has been described with reference to materials, components,processes, and other elements applicable to automotive quotationsolutions, it is appreciated that the specific details and attributes ofrelational database 10 may vary widely as understood by one of ordinaryskill in the art of relational databases.

FIG. 2 illustrates that the relational database preferably includesother information (in an automotive supplier application), such asvehicle program information 50, part record information 52, processinformation 54, and sub-part information 56, as well as information 58.FIG. 2 also illustrates an example of specific information for database10 underneath each sub-database. FIG. 3 further illustrates departments12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and illustrates other features and advantages of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary portion of a set of relations used in anexemplary embodiment of the present invention. That is, data inrelational database 10 may be modified for a particular application, asneeded, overcoming problems associated with hard-coded software packagesused in the past. As shown in FIG. 4, a set of relations is generallyindicated at 100. Each relation includes a number of attributes, andindicates, where appropriate, keys. Relations 102, 104, 106, 108, and110 illustrate attributes relating to quotation identification and workflow. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, relation 120 includes attributes related to process. Asshown, relation 120 includes process identification, process name, andmachine identification. Relation 122 includes machine identification andmachine name. Relation 124 includes process identification andcalculation identification. Relation 126 includes calculationidentification, calculation name, and equation description. Inaccordance with the present invention, data corresponding to equationdescription of relation 126 may be modified, as needed, to suit theneeds of a particular quotation preparer to allow customization of theinternal calculations of relational database 10. Further, relation 128includes attributes for process identification and parameteridentification, and relation 130 includes attributes for parameteridentification, and parameter name. That is, the calculation is afunction of parameters for a particular process to determine the cost ofthe process. In accordance with the present invention, the techniqueutilized to perform the calculation may be modified, as needed, for aparticular application. As such, data in relational database 10 can becustomized, 30 as needed, for particular applications, without theextreme expense associated with re-developing a hard-coded applicationfrom the start.

In a preferred implementation of the relational database, the ability tomodify and add data includes the ability to add new processes. Theability to add new processes may be made available to the supplier. Inaddition, new parameters and new calculations may be associated with thenew process. Similarly, embodiments of the present invention contemplatethe ability to add new materials, new components, and other newinformation to relational database 10 without disturbing the overallorganization of the data.

Further, in a preferred embodiment, various parameters may be assignedto different user types. For example, a certain group of parameters maybe modifiable only by design engineers, another group of parameters maybe modifiable only by process engineers, and so on.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A quotation system that provides flexible control of a custom quotation by making a modification to a technique used to perform a quotation calculation, the modification being made according to calculation data supplied by a user, the modification not requiring alteration of software code of the quotation system, and not requiring selection of a pre-modified technique used to perform a quotation calculation, the quotation system comprising: non-transitory computer-readable media containing software that is able to direct the actions of a computer so as to cause the computer to: accept the calculation data from a user of the system; store the calculation data in a relational database; using the calculation data, modify the technique used to perform the quotation calculation; accept quotation data from a user of the system; store the quotation data in the relational database; perform the quotation calculation on the quotation data using the modified technique, so as to provide a result of the quotation calculation; apply the result of the quotation calculation so as to determine a quotation; and provide the quotation to a user of the system; wherein the quotation system is configured for use by various departments; wherein the software is further able to direct the actions of the computer so as to present a plurality of customized interfaces corresponding to the various departments, each customized interface being in communication with the relational database and configured to provide tailored access, in accordance with work flows, to the relational database according to anticipated use by the corresponding department.
 2. The quotation system of claim 1, wherein the calculation data includes a calculation identification.
 3. The quotation system of claim 1, wherein the calculation data includes an equation description.
 4. The quotation system of claim 3, wherein the equation description can be modified, as needed, by entry of quotation data so as to allow modification of the technique used by the computer to perform the quotation calculation.
 5. The quotation system of claim 1, wherein the quotation calculation is a function of parameters for a particular process that determines a cost of the process.
 6. The quotation system of claim 1, wherein the quotation data includes at least one of: a process; a parameter for a particular process; and a cost parameter.
 7. The quotation system of claim 1, wherein the software is able to cause the computer to perform the quotation calculation on quotation data that relate to one of: a manufacturing process; a raw material; a purchased part; a product set; and a product volume.
 8. The quotation system of claim 1, wherein the various departments include at least one of: a sales department; a design engineering department; a process engineering department; and a purchasing department.
 9. The quotation system of claim 1, wherein the software is further able to direct the actions of the computer so as to present a plurality of customized interfaces configured to allow tailored access to the relational database based on anticipated use by a user having a user status assigned from a group including contributors and approvers.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein calculation data entered into the relational database is stored for use in future prompting of calculation data input from a user of the system.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is able to accept calculation data from a user of the system who is in communication with the relational database using a web-based interface.
 12. A method for providing flexible control of a custom quotation by making a modification to a technique used by a quotation system to perform a quotation calculation, the modification being made according to calculation data supplied by a user, the modification not requiring alteration of software code of the quotation system, and not requiring selection of a pre-modified technique used to perform a quotation calculation, the method comprising: accepting the calculation data from a user of the system; storing the calculation data in a relational database; using the calculation data, modifying the technique used to perform the quotation calculation; accepting quotation data from a user of the system; storing the quotation data in the relational database; performing, with a computer of the quotation system, the quotation calculation on the quotation data using the modified technique, so as to provide a result of the quotation calculation; applying the result of the quotation calculation so as to determine a quotation; and providing the quotation to a user of the system; wherein the quotation system is configured for use by various departments; wherein the software is further able to direct the actions of the computer so as to present a plurality of customized interfaces corresponding to the various departments, each customized interface being in communication with the relational database and configured to provide tailored access, in accordance with work flows, to the relational database according to anticipated use by the corresponding department.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the calculation data includes a calculation identification.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the calculation data includes an equation description.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the equation description can be modified, as needed, by entry of calculation data so as to allow modification of the technique used by the computer to perform the quotation calculation.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the quotation calculation is a function of parameters for a particular process that determines a cost of the process. 